As we head into week twelve, I think we can finally look back and see if these preseason keeper rankings were worth the paper they were not written on. It’s also a good time to see if there were any better keeper options for each team to keep. For some, the answer is yes. For one rookie owner, the answer is, holy fuck yes.
Michael Evangelist (Preseason Rank: #12) JuJu Smith-Schuster (7) Technically, this ranking was based on Pattini not keeping anyone, but with the way JuJu has played, the ranking fits. Currently, he’s not even ranked in the top-40 among all wide receivers. Of course, this is all made worse by who Mike could’ve kept.
In category one, he could have had Amari Cooper in round two. Instead, he drafted Keenan Allen. Hell, he could have drafted Cooper, but didn’t. Allen is the 14th best wideout; Cooper is the 4th, averaging 49 more points per game. Worse yet, instead of keeping Smith-Schuster, Michael could have had Lamar Jackson in round 8. Yep, he could have had the top-rated quarterback and arguable the League MVP for two more seasons in round 8. Sometimes, it’s tough being the new guy.
Richard Burrier (Preseason Rank: #11) Keepers: Baker Mayfield (8) Once Mike came in and cleaned up Pattini’s mess, Rich entered the year with the worst keepers, bringing back only Baker Mayfield in round 8. No one really blamed Rich for only keeping one player. This was a guy who ended the season starting players like Josh Doctson and Corey Davis at wide receiver.
Of course, Mayfield has been oh so much worse than projected and has sat most of the year on Rich’s bench. In hindsight, he made the right call to keep an arm. He just kept the wrong arm. Rich should have kept Dak Prescott in round 10. The Cowboys’ quarterback is currently ranked #2 among all arms, only behind Lamar Jackson.
That’s the obvious change Rich should’ve made. The less obvious, but probably just as important would have been to keep Fournette in round one. The Jaguars running back ended 2018 on Rich’s bench (suspension will do that) and was no longer consider a first-round talent. However, if Rich would have kept him in round one, he would have the 9th best running back in football.
JEFF GREENBLATT (Preseason Rank: #10) Keepers: Mike Evans (2), Sony Michel (7), Austin Ekeler (13) For a hot minute, this trio of keepers looked like the best the league had to offer. As a starter, Ekeler was a stud, competing for a 1st-team All-Robio, while Mike Evans is a 1st-team All-Robio.
However, Ekeler has reverted back to second string pass catcher and is barely hanging on to the top-10. So out of these three, only Evans is having any kind of impact as Jeff chases a playoff spot. In the end, despite this, the only thing Jeff could have done differently is not keep Sony Michel, who has been worthless this season.
Griff Coomer (Preseason Rank: #9) Keepers: Tyler Boyd (9) & O.J. Howard (13) The fastest way to compete for the basement is to have both of your already questionable keepers fail. Howard is the king of getting goose egg’d and Boyd isn’t even in the top-30 among receivers for the 0-10 Bengals.
Yet, it’s not like Griff passed up on a ton of talent. However, he should’ve skipped Boyd in category two and kept Chris Carson in round six. The Seahawks running back continues to be a rock in fantasy. He’s currently the 10th best back in football, averaging over 230 points per game. That would easily make him Griff’s best running back right now.
ERIC VOZZOLA (Preseason Rank: #8) Keepers: Stefon Diggs (4) & Calvin Ridley (9) These two proved to be the best keeper options that Eric had to pick from. The latter has been in the top-20 for most of the year and the former is currently among the top 10. Unfortunately for Eric, his patience wore thin and he sent a struggling Diggs to Calderon. Since that trade, Diggs has been one of the best wideouts in football, while Josh Gordon, who Eric received in return, is off not producing in Seattle.
ROB MASTERSON (Preseason Rank: #7) Keepers: Christian McCaffrey (1), Marlon Mack (6) & Cortland Sutton (11) In hindsight, Rob’s trio was not the 7th best, but probably one of the best. McCaffrey cost Rob a first-round pick, but based on how tragic some first-round picks have been this year, it was so worth it, as he’s on pace to average 400 fantasy points per game.
Mack is struggling to stay healthy, but when he’s on the field, he helps give Rob the best backfield in fantasy. As for Sutton, he’s been a big surprise. Despite quarterback issues again in Denver, he’s currently the 12th best wideout in fantasy. When healthy, all three would be starters for a team challenging for the title.
MATT NEATOCK (Preseason Rank: #6) Keepers: Saquon Barkley (1), Zach Ertz (7), Latavius Murray (14) This trio was ranked 6th in the preseason and honestly, that proved to be too high. Murray has done nothing as a backend sleeper. The two games he produced (with Kamara out), he sat on Matt’s bench. Ertz has picked it up lately, but had been sluggish all season and is currently ranked 5th among all tight ends.
Yet, in both cases, Matt had no better options. The same can’t be said about his category one player. Barkley was a stud last season and was expected to be one again. Yet, the Giants have struggled to run the ball and their back has failed to stay healthy. You know who hasn’t struggled with either? Dalvin Cook. Matt could have kept him one pick later. He’s current the second best back in football, averaging 325 points per contest. Having said that, Barkley can be kept again in 2020. The same can’t be said about Cook.
COLBY HALL (Preseason Rank: #5) Keepers: Patrick Mahomes (9) & John Brown (14) For a team that broke the all-time scoring record for the regular season, Colby didn’t really have a ton of great options to keep. Brown is a solid keeper in the 14th and he’s had a couple of great games, so no shame in landing the 13th best wideout.
Of course, Mahomes is the real prize. He did account for 25% of all of Colby’s scoring last year. This season, he got off to a hot start, but an injury derailed his fantasy season. Yet, despite missing two games, he’s still the 6th best arm in fantasy. The only other real option would have been Tyler Lockett. The Seahawks receiver was the 6th best wideout before getting hurt two weeks ago. That’s good, but Mahomes is too good to pass up in the 9th round for this season and next.
ROBIO MURRAY (Preseason Rank: #4) Keepers: Cooper Kupp (4), Aaron Jones (8) & James Conner (13) In my preseason eyes, I saw two potential starters and a maybe a solid bench option, to go along with my first overall pick. Kupp has been a surprise. As I figured out my wide receivers this year, he dominated at times. Despite getting shutout two weeks ago, he’s still the 8th best receiver in football. Yet, he’s back on my bench. Why?
Well, I shipped off Aaron Jones to Bob. Jones has dominated for Bob and is the third best running back in fantasy. In return, I landed Melvin Gordon and Tyler Lockett. The latter also started for me as a top-five wideout, but then I managed to send him away (and Engram) for Julio Jones. Now I start Julio and Melvin Gordon (who has a pair of 300-pt games lately), while I sit and wait patiently for Conner to get healthy.
BOB CASTRONE (Preseason Rank: #3) Keepers: Devante Adams (2), Chris Godwin (9) & DeShaun Watson (14) So far, so okay…Bob kept three and there were no better three to keep, although this threesome didn’t quite deliver what was promised in Bob’s mind. Chris Godwin had a hot start, but the 9th round keeper has cooled, although he’s still the third best wideout in football.
2nd round keeper, Devante Adams, should be a top-five pair of hands, but injuries have knocked him out of the top-20. Watson was in his final year as a round 15 keeper, but with Bob feeling stacked at quarterback, he sent the Texans arm packing to land primarily George Kittle.
DON VOZZOLA (Preseason Rank: #2) Tyreek Hill (4) & Alvin Kamara (13) Don was given the number two spot in my preseason keeper rankings and when healthy, Hill and Kamara deliver like the All-Robio’s they were projected to be. The problem is health. Kamara missed a pair and Hill has now been knocked out twice this year. That’s what happens when you beat your kids.
Perhaps one could make an argument that Russell Wilson in round three would have been a better keeper over Hill in category one, especially since Don reached for Matt Ryan in two, but that’s a hard argument to sell, especially if Hill is 100% come playoff time.
RICH CALDERON (Preseason Rank: #1) DeAndre Hopkins (4), Nick Chubb (10) & Adam Thielen (13) Rich walked into the season with the #1 ranked keeper class and while they haven’t quite been as dominant as expected, they are still pretty good and could easily carry Rich to the title. The leader of this group is Chubb, who has been a top-five back all season. Hunt is back, so we’ll see if he can continue to produce at that level, but Chubb is the main reason why Rich is on the verge of earning his first ever top seed.
At wideout, both Hopkins and Thielen have struggled to meet expectations. Before this Thursday’s game, Hopkins was ranked just 17th among wideouts. Thielen has just one 300-point game, as he got hurt right when Kirk Cousins got hot.
If you’re looking to nitpick, perhaps Rich should have kept Golladay in round 12. The Lions wideout is currently the 11th best receiver in football and could be kept one more year beyond this season. Or, if you’re looking for a dark horse, why not keep Derrius Guice? Rich redshirted him last year and he can be kept through 2021. Sure, he’s been hurt and done nothing in 2019, but if he can end the year strong, with a new coach next year, it might have been nice to have a starting running back in the 14th round.